When You're Gone
by Jasmine Shigeru
Summary: Part 9 of 15. Meryl's POV. Meryl's continual thoughts after Vash's departure and her anger when he returns with Knives.
1. Chapter 1

Part One (Meryl's POV)

A week has passed since Vash had left me. A whole entire week and I can still feel the numbness that he left me with.

Millie is worried about me. She thinks I will do something awful to myself. I won't. I would have to care enough for that.

I will go on. I must go on. But I don't know how I could. I had come to love Vash so much. In a short time I had come to love Vash the Stampede more than I have ever loved anyone before. And he told me not to wait.

How was supposed to move on with my life? Find a new love? Marry? Have children? I couldn't do any of that. I would rather die old and alone than be with anyone else other than Vash.

There, my mind was made up. I would go to work and come home for now on. I will visit Millie when necessary. That will have to fill my life.

Work was all I had left. Going to work was what I prided myself on. I have always been a hard worker. I was always precise when it came to my reports. I was always on time with my paperwork and with my being. And with Vash gone my work ethics did not change.

Sure, I was a bit quieter and a bit sterner, but I was Meryl Stryfe and Meryl Stryfe was nothing but a hard worker. But it was at work that the numbness faded from my body. It was at work that I felt the stab of loneliness.

One of my co-workers, Karen was talking about her handsome new lover and I could not help myself, I broke down and I cried for the loss of my own handsome lover.

I wept for Vash at my desk in front of everyone and they just stared at me like I had two heads.

Milllie and Karen tried to comfort me but nothing they did or said could console me. In the end, my boss came to me and told me to take the rest of the day off.

I actually agreed to this and walked home with blurry eyes.

END of Pt. 1


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: In this part I gave Meryl a middle name. Don't judge.**

Part Two

A month passes and my routine had returned. No longer was I bursting into tears over my lost love. I once again became the dedicated worker I had been before my emotional breakdown.

In fact, I was so dedicated to my work I rarely took the time to enjoy anything in life. I no longer gorged myself on ice cream Sundays. I rarely read any of the classic books that would entertain her for hours. No music to allow her mind to drift either. I even took to drinking less tea.

The only thing I did allow to bring her joy was Millie and Matt. Their company helped eased the loneliness that I was feeling.

So, another task was added to my routine. I would go to work, then to Millie's for dinner and quality time with the Thompson's. And for a while it worked, but when the forth week approached and still no Vash, I just broke down.

At the end of a very busy and yet mundane week, I found myself, yet again, alone. I was not surprised when I closed my eyes for the night that I thought about the Humanoid Typhoon nor was I surprised when the tears began to fall. That was not new. What surprised me the most was something she had not thought of before, something that I should have considered the day Vash had left.

I, Meryl Matilda Stryfe was worried. For the first time in what felt like ages, I had begun to worry about Vash the Stampede.

I had no clue if he was well or ill, where he was, or whether he was dead or alive, and once again, everything about Vash was a mystery. I felt as if she did not know him at all and this scared the woman. No, not scared terrified. Not knowing what was going on in Vash's life terrified me and pushed me to the brink.

It was when she realized this that I burst into hysterical tears. I was once more inconsolable and I cried until I had no more tears to give and exhaustion took hold and I finally fell into a dreamless sleep.

END of Pt. 2


	3. Chapter 3

Part Three

It was a warm Saturday morning when I woke up early. I had awoken earlier than I had in a long time; the sun was just peeking over the horizon. I groaned and didn't even bother opening my eyes. I just rolled over in my big comfy bed. And I began thinking about Vash.

How I missed him. I felt my throat swell as tears began to fall from my eyes. He was gone and he was never coming back. I was alone. I will always be alone. No one could ever replace Vash in my heart.

I decided in that moment that I would not even try or accept anyone else in my life. It was either Vash or no body. Forget marriage, forget children, I didn't need either of them. I was just going to find something new to make me happy.

It was just when I made this revelation that I heard a knock on my door. Groaning once more I turn over onto my back. The early morning sun had just begun to glare through my curtains. I tried to ignore the sound coming from my apartment door.

The knocking became more persistent and I sat up in anger. I threw my blankets to the floor. I leapt out of bed and stomped to the door, still in the male's dress shirt pajamas. I harshly opened my door and was surprised to see the love of my life.

"Vash?" I questioned.

"Hello," He said using his free hand to wave at me.

"What's that?" I asked at the person over his shoulder.

"It's my brother," Vash answered calmly.

I glared at him. This was the last thing I needed on an early Saturday morning.

"Vash, no," I protested.

Vash entered my apartment and gently placed his brother down on my sofa.

"Vash, I said no," I told him.

"I heard you," he said standing and walking past me to close my still opened door. "But this is the only way we can be together."

"What?" I asked.

"I left so I could take care of my brother, but with him here I won't have to leave you," he smiled down at me as he grabbed my shoulders. "Meryl, please. We need this. I can't live without you. I don't want you to be with someone else. I want us to be together."

I stared up into his aqua green eyes. He was pleading with me to allow his brother to stay with us. I knew if I didn't Vash and I would be miserable for the rest of our lives. My life would be short, while Vash's could last for many more decades. I couldn't do that to him, I couldn't do that for us.

"Okay," I said. "He can stay. We can do this. I can't live my life without you either."

Vash smiled brightly at me before he embraced me and kissed my passionately.

"I love you so much," he said.

"I love you too," I returned.

I looked around. My apartment was nearly too small for two people let alone three.

"I think we're going to need a bigger place," I announced with a frown.

Vash glanced around us.

"Well, he's still unconscious," he stated about his brother. "I don't think Knives is going to need that much space to move around."

"But we will," I say. "We can find a bigger place in a smaller town that we can afford."

"What about your job?"

"I know of a town that has a smaller branch of Bernardelli that we can live," I answered simply. "That way I can work for the same pay in a more affordable town and you can take care of Knives without us having to worry too much about money."

"I don't know."

"Vash, trust me. We're going to need this and we're going to need a place where when Knives wakes up, he can't cause that much trouble. And we're going to need somewhere that won't draw attention to who you are."

For a moment, Vash just stood there looking at me with uncertainty.

"Okay," He finally agreed. "We can do this."

I smile brightly at him and kiss him.

"I'm going to call Millie," I said as I walked to my bedroom to use the phone. "She's going to want to know this."

When I told my best friend of our plans to move, Millie agreed. She believed a smaller community would be better for us. She also believed that we would need help and decided to move with us. It was like everything was falling into place.

Now I had the love of my life and my best friend. After a month of depression and numbness, I was happy again.

END OF When You're Gone.


End file.
